updated 03:50 pm EDT, Tue August 3, 2010

Pentax seen getting into mirrorless cams late

Pentax's plans to get into the currently hot mirrorless, interchangeable lens camera space were seemingly confirmed today by an analyst note (PDF stating it as fact. Citigroup Global Markets Japan said in discussing Pentax's earnings that its parent brand Hoya wants a Pentax camera in the group that would be "distinct" from what already exists. What else it would do, or when it would ship, weren't given out.

The company is no stranger to entry-level interchangeable cameras, having earned some success with the K-x and its predecessors, but it remains one of the few camera producers to get into the mirrorless field. Outside of majors such as Canon and Nikon that are rumored to have their own models in the works, multiple major rivals have already dipped into the category, including Olympus, Panasonic and Sony.